George: Clippers are 'war-ready' after 1st-round battle vs. Mavs

The Los Angeles Clippers bounced back from both a 2-0 and 3-2 series deficit in their opening-round playoff matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.

It was far from an ideal postseason start for a club with legitimate title aspirations, though Paul George believes the early adversity will help the Clippers down the line.

"They pushed us," George told reporters after L.A.'s 126-111 Game 7 win, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "They got us war-ready. Great team we played. Unbelievable superstar in Luka (Doncic). They pushed us, they challenged us, but we stuck in there, hung in there, and played for one another."

Los Angeles blew a 3-1 series lead to the Denver Nuggets during last year's Western Conference semifinals. The early playoff exit resulted in a number of changes that offseason, including the firing of head coach Doc Rivers and departure of Sixth Man of the Year winner Montrezl Harrell.

George isn't dwelling on last season's failed championship pursuit, though.

"This team forced us to play on a nightly basis, a full 48-minute game," George said. "Last year ... let's not even get into last year. We are onto a whole other season. We just hung in there, we stuck together, we battled it out and we knew what it took to win tonight."